Christian Spiritual Warfare

Archive for the ‘Armor of God’ Category

In recent weeks Glory to the King Ministries and I personally have been attacked by a word that was given as a “prophecy”, but was definitely not of God. This kind of false word is one of the devil’s favorite tactics against God’s people. He well knows that a word given as “thus saith the Lord”, or that purports to speak with God’s voice, has far greater power to penetrate the Christian’s heart than words that don’t pretend to be anything other than the opinions of man. Unfortunately, the more soft we are toward God, the greater the possibility of being attacked in this way. Sadly, the devil also knows that many Christians would not have a clue how to distinguish a “word of the Lord” from one straight from the pits of hell.

Now, I don’t want anyone to think I am saying that you will never receive a word of rebuke or correction from the Lord. I have personally received such words, and I have been His instrument to deliver such words (mercifully, not very often.) However, if a rebuke is from the Lord YOU WILL KNOW! Even if you don’t want to hear it, something in your spirit will tell you, “this is true!” It will be totally consistent with both God’s Word and His character. I’ve just put a post about some ways to test prophetic words at my Rev. Lynn’s Blog: http://www.revlynnsblog.com/christian-life/2010/06/01/testing-prophecy/ so I won’t repeat that here – just follow the link to check it out.

What I want to address in this post is how to protect yourself when you receive words that purport to come from God, but are really an attack of the enemy.

We are all familiar, at least to some degree, with the armor of God listed in Ephesians 6. (If you are not sure what it’s all about, sign up for my free e-course.) When this recent attack happened, the Holy Spirit took me back to school and gave me a lesson in how to apply the armor very specifically in this situation. I hope that I can share that insight here in a way that will help you if you find yourself in a similar situation.

The first part of the armor is the Belt of Truth. In the case of the prophecy that was made against us, some accusations were made about me personally that were simply not true (one of the reasons that I knew this was not from God, because He is a God of truth and knows my heart.) If you are given a false prophecy, it may contain untrue accusations like this. On the other hand, it may contain untrue flattery – building you up by crediting you for things you know you haven’t done. So the first thing you need is to be absolutely honest with yourself. What is the truth about the things that have been spoken? Take hold of that truth and wrap it tightly around yourself. Remember, man may only see the externals, but God knows what is really going on in your heart. Every time the devil tries to attack you with these falsehoods, simply tell him and yourself – aloud if necessary – “That’s not true!”

Next is the breastplate of righteousness. The devil will try to break down your righteousness by causing anger, bitterness or resentment toward the person who brought the word. Be sure to keep your heart pure by relying on the Holy Spirit. Make sure your responses are gracious, be sure to pray blessing on the person, and be quick to cut off any thoughts of revenge or retribution.

The word you have received will be designed to bring confusion, turmoil and hurt. Be sure that your feet are shod with the Gospel of peace: that is, walk in the peace that is yours as a blood-bought child of the living God. Take hold of Romans 8:28Romans 8:28
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28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

WP-Bible plugin, that God works all things together for good to those who love Him, and allow the peace of that knowledge to saturate your soul.

Take up the shield of faith, remembering that faith is not mere intellectual assent, but a relationship of total trust in God. Your faith should never be in what He does, but in Who He is. Trust absolutely that, because of Who He is, He will complete that which He has begun in your life, and nothing – including the word you have received – will prevent Him from doing so.

The helmet of salvation is given to protect your head. Remember, the key component of salvation is GRACE. The word you have received will quite possibly have a strong element of judgment, even to the extent of condemnation. The Word of God tells us that mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13James 2:13
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13 For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

WP-Bible plugin), and grace is greater than mercy. (Mercy is “not receiving the penalty we deserve”, grace is “receiving the blessings we do not deserve.”) The Word also tells us that “there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1Romans 8:1
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8 ¹ There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

WP-Bible plugin) God may correct or discipline us, but He does not bring judgment or condemnation against His redeemed people. Remind yourself that you stand by grace. If there is an area where you genuinely need to repent, do so – and know that once you have sincerely repented, you are forgiven! Don’t let the devil, or the person who gave the prophecy, tell you otherwise.

Take up the Sword of Faith, the Word of God. A good Scripture to use against this kind of attack is Isaiah 54:17Isaiah 54:17
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17 No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Yahweh, and their righteousness which is of me, says Yahweh.

WP-Bible plugin – “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.” Remember also that the “Word of God” does not just refer to Scripture, but to the true prophetic words that you may have received. If you have had true prophecies that relate to the word being brought against you, bring them out and begin to declare them over the situation.

Receiving a false prophecy can be a very shaking experience, particularly if it comes through someone you know, respect and trust. But by making sure the Armor is properly in place, you can withstand the attack and come through victorious.

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
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5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
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9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
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9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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“and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”

(Ephesians 6:15Ephesians 6:15
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15 and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace;

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Often when people read this verse, they think it is talking about the preaching of the Gospel. Preaching and witnessing are important, and are most certainly a part of our spiritual warfare. However, these are offensive measures – tactics which we use to take territory from the enemy. The armor, however, is defensive – it is our protection against the enemy’s attacks. Paul is not talking about our taking the Gospel to others, but rather about the effect that the Gospel has on us personally.

As with the whole of this passage about the armor of God, he is using the picture of the armor worn by a Roman soldier. On his feet the soldier wore heavy leather sandals, which were studded underneath with metal, so that no matter what kind of terrain the soldier had to cover, he would never slip or lose his grip. Paul is saying that is what the Gospel does for us.

How does the Gospel achieve this? It is the Gospel of Peace – and that means, firstly, that it is the Gospel that brought us peace with God. Before we heard the Gospel, we were God’s enemies. We may have been consciously and deliberately opposed to God, perhaps denying His existence or at least living as though He did not exist. Or we might have been “good” people, perhaps even churchgoers, but had never truly surrendered our lives to Christ. Either way, we were God’s enemies. There are only two possibilities in life – either we are in the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness. Those in the kingdom of darkness are God’s enemies, and if they remain in that kingdom they will suffer the same judgment as the prince of that kingdom.

Being at war with God creates all kinds of problems in our lives, and leaves us open to the attack of the enemy on every side. However, when we heard and responded to the Gospel we changed sides – we switched our allegiance from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of God. Now we are no longer His enemies, but His friends and bound to Him in a covenant that guarantees He will fight on our behalf.

Since we are now God’s friends, we also have another benefit – the peace of God. This means that, because of our relationship with Him, we can walk through any situations that life might throw at us in perfect peace, knowing that He will work them all together for our good and His glory. That does not mean that we will never have problems, but that we can rest in the knowledge that God is bigger than all our problems.

Most important of all, we now know the God who is Peace. Jehovah Shalom, the Lord is my peace, was one of the names of God in the Old Testament. When we know Jehovah Shalom, we not only have the peace of God in our hearts in any situation, but we carry His peace with us wherever we go, and are able to release that peace into the situation. That’s why, in the middle of a storm that had the disciples – all of whom were experienced fishermen – absolutely terrified, Jesus was able to stand up and simply say, “Peace. Be still.” and the storm stopped.

The Gospel of peace does indeed allow us to walk through all of life’s troubled roads and never lose our footing.

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
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Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
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5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
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9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
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9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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Paul tells us that part of the defensive armor that God has given us is the shield of faith – but what, exactly, is faith, and how can it be a shield for us? Is it, as so many have taught over the years, I kind of button that we push to get what we want out of God, whenever we want it? Is it simply the adherence to a correct set of doctrinal precepts? Is it something we can get only by summoning every ounce of our will power and focusing it on believing?

One thing that we really need to understand is that faith is spiritual. No amount of intellectual understanding will produce it, nor will any amount of will power. Those things come from the soul, and the soul cannot produce spiritual results. Likewise, a hyped-up meeting that produces a wonderful emotional high cannot produce faith – emotions are also part of the soul realm. Sometimes those things may clear the way for us to move into faith; but at other times they may actually block the way and prevent us from finding true faith. Just as in an inoculation a “mini dose” of the disease, or something that is somewhat like the disease, can keep us from contracting the real disease, so trying to find faith through the soul realm can inoculate us against finding true faith.

Faith has three aspects: truth, relationship and action.

The truth aspect of faith is not something we can find by natural means, even by reading the Word of God. It has to come by revelation. Think about it: how often, before you came to the Lord, did you read the Bible and it made no sense to you at all? Then one day the Lord opened your eyes, and it became real and meaningful.

Truth has to be a revelation, because our minds are so minute compared to the mind of God. Our minds cannot begin to understand Him, just as the mind of an ant couldn’t begin to understand us. The only way we can know Him is by a revelation from His Spirit to our spirit.

That knowing then leads to the second part of the faith equation: relationship. It is not enough to know about God, we need to know Him personally in an intimate relationship. The more we know Him, the more we know that we can trust Him to do the things He has promised. Whilst Paul tells us to take up the shield of faith, Psalms tells us that “His faithfulness will be your shield” (Ps 91:4Ps 91:4
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4 He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.

WP-Bible pluginb). Our shield is not some kind of artificial belief summoned by the force of our will, but our rest in the faithfulness of Him with whom we are related.

This in turn leads to action. We automatically act out of the things we truly believe. We do not have to grit our teeth and say, “I believe thus, therefore I will act so.” It happens naturally. If our actions do not match our beliefs, then we either have serious mental problems or we do not really believe the things we think we believe. Particularly in relation to using faith as our shield, our actions include our words. If on one hand we say that we believe God is able to deal with whatever situations we face, but on the other hand we talk as if those situations are going to destroy us, then maybe we should look again at what we really believe. If our words are not a true expression both of the truth that has been revealed to us, and the relationship that we have with the Lord, then that faith will never be a sufficient shield to protect us against the attack of the enemy.

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
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9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
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9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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“The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Romans 13:12-14Romans 13:12-14
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12 The night is far gone, and the day is near. Let’s therefore throw off the works of darkness, and let’s put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us walk properly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and lustful acts, and not in strife and jealousy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts.

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These verses present the Armor of God in a totally different aspect from that which we normally see presented. In the midst of the battle, Paul tells us to “clothe [our]selves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” Just how does this relate to the Armor of God as presented in Ephesians 6?

In Ephesians, we are told first to be girded with the belt of truth. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6John 14:6
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6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.

WP-Bible plugin) When we are “clothed” in Jesus, His truth surrounds us and protects us, providing a sure foundation for our Christian life.

Next, we need to have the breastplate of righteousness in place. 1 Corinthians 1:301 Corinthians 1:30
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30 But of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:

WP-Bible plugin tells us that Christ has been made our righteousness. We have been declared righteous because He is righteous; and we have been given His Spirit, Who has come to live in our hearts and transform our lives into His righteousness.

The shoes of the Gospel of Peace come next, and here too we find Jesus, for Ephesians 2:14Ephesians 2:14
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14 For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,

WP-Bible plugin declares that “He Himself is our peace.” Through Christ, we who once were God’s enemies have been brought into His own family. Not only that, but He has given us His peace, so that we need not be troubled or dismayed by whatever circumstances life may throw at us. (John 14:27John 14:27
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27 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.

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As we put on the helmet of salvation, we know that the very Name, Jesus, means “YHWH saves.” It is Christ Himself Who protects our minds from the accusations and temptations of the evil one.

In taking up the shield of faith, we need not be discouraged that our own faith is small and weak, and may not be up to the task at hand. We can choose instead to say with Paul, “I live by the faith of the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20Galatians 2:20
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20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.

WP-Bible plugin KJV). We know, too, that God’s faithfulness is our shield (Ps 91:4Ps 91:4
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4 He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.

WP-Bible plugin), and where better is God’s faithfulness expressed than in Jesus?

The sword of the Spirit, Ephesians tells us, is the Word of God. Both the written Word and the prophetic Word are “living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword” (Heb 4:12Heb 4:12
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12 For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

WP-Bible plugin), but both derive their power from the Living Word Who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14John 1:14
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14 The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

WP-Bible plugin), the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we are “clothed in Christ”, living by the power of His Spirit within, He becomes our armor. We do not have to struggle and strive to put it on, but just to stand in what He has already given us. “Stand firm, then …”

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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 In Ephesians 6:14Ephesians 6:14
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14 Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

WP-Bible plugin, Paul admonishes us to stand “with the breastplate of righteousness in place.” (NIV) We know of course that this whole passage uses the metaphor of the armor of a Roman soldier to describe the things which God has given us as a protection against the attack of the enemy. The breastplate protected one of the most vital areas of the soldier’s body, guarding his heart against oncoming spears.

Likewise, the breastplate of righteousness protects our hearts, but we need to understand just whose righteousness we are talking about. Our own righteousness won’t help at all. The Bible tells us that our own righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6Isaiah 64:6
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6 For we are all become as one who is unclean, and all our righteousness are as a polluted garment: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

WP-Bible plugin). Could you imagine binding a bundle of dirty rags in front of your chest and hoping that it would protect you from spears and arrows? Neither can our own righteousness protect us from the attacks of the devil. His spears of accusation very quickly and easily penetrate our righteous facade, hitting the mark on all the false motives and motivations that lie beneath.

No, to protect us from such attacks we need something far sturdier than filthy rags. Fortunately, God has provided that protection for us in the righteousness of Christ.

Just so nobody has any doubts or confusion, God has declared that, apart from Christ, there has never been a single person who, in him or herself, was totally righteous. Paul’s declaration that “There is no one righteous, not even one … there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10,12Romans 3:10,12
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10 As it is written, “There is no one righteous. No, not one. ¹² They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, No, not, so much as one.”

WP-Bible plugin) is an echo of Psalms 14:1-3Psalms 14:1-3
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14 For the Chief Musician. By David. ¹ The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. There is none who does good. ² Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men, To see if there were any who did understand, Who did seek after God. ³ They have all gone aside. They have together become corrupt. There is none who does good, no, not one.

WP-Bible plugin and 53:1-3 and Ecclesiastes 7:20Ecclesiastes 7:20
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20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth, who does good and doesn’t sin.

WP-Bible plugin. When God repeats something several times, we know that it is important. Very simply, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23Romans 3:23
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23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;

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There was, however, One Who was totally righteous, and that was the Lord Jesus Christ – God the Son manifested in the flesh. He not only lived a perfect, sinless life, but He allowed Himself to be put to death on a Cross, bearing all the sin and unrighteousness of mankind. Because He has borne our sin, He is able to credit us with His righteousness when we come to Him and accept His grace.

2 Corinthians 5:212 Corinthians 5:21
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21 For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

WP-Bible plugin tells us of this wonderful exchange: “For He has made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” Theologians speak of this as Christ’s righteousness being imputed to us – that is, God declares us righteous because we are in Christ and He is righteous.

Now we have something sturdy to defend our hearts. When the devil starts throwing his spears of accusation – “You call yourself a Christian? Remember what you did when …” – we can tell him that we are not standing in our own righteousness, but that of Christ.

It doesn’t stop there, however. (“Wait, there’s more …”) God is not content to simply declare us righteous, but leave us locked in sin. When we come to Him, He places His own Spirit in our hearts. As we allow the Holy Spirit to live His life within us, we find ourselves beginning to be transformed. God has not only imputed Christ’s righteousness to us, He is also imparting it to us. That, of course, requires an active participation on our part, for God will never override our will.

If we are born again, Christ’s imputed righteousness is already ours. The breastplate is already in place. As we walk with Him, becoming more and more transformed into His likeness, it becomes more and more our own.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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A little while ago I was invited to become part of an international ministry network. I visited their web site, and found information about the organization and its leaders, but nothing to indicate what they actually believed. When I enquired about this, I was told “We just preach the whole Gospel.”

Unfortunately, as I pointed out to them, the interpretation of what constitutes “the whole Gospel” varies widely. In a perfect Church, to say “we preach the whole Gospel” would be enough, but in a sadly divided, often backslidden and definitely far from perfect Church, I want a somewhat clearer definition of beliefs before I sign on the dotted line.

When Paul wrote about the armor of God in Ephesians 6, the first item he mentioned was the belt of truth. This was for a very good reason. For a Roman soldier, the belt was not just the thing that held his toga up! His weapons hung on his belt, and it even had straps going over the shoulders so that his breastplate also hung on it. For us also, everything hangs on truth, both our weapons and our breastplate of righteousness.

Very simply, what we do, and how we live, depends on what we believe. If we believe that Jesus was just a good man, then we will never look to Him for salvation, because we know that no man, no matter how good, is able to save us. If we believe that satan does not exist, we will not be prepared to resist his attacks; on the other hand, if we believe that he is so big and powerful that we don’t stand a chance against him, then we will give up the fight before we even start.

Some time ago there was a popular song that said, “You and me baby ain’t nothing but mammals, so let’s do it like they do on the Discovery Channel.” That song, and the sentiments it expressed, was a logical result of a belief in evolution.

What we believe matters, and defining what we believe matters. If we don’t define what we believe, we can never define what we don’t believe. If we don’t define that Jesus is God in the flesh, then we have no defence against those who say he was just a good man, or a prophet. If we don’t define that the Bible is the Word of God, we have no defence against those who say it only contains the word of God, which means by definition that some parts are not (and generally results in people discarding the bits they don’t like.)

We do not have the liberty – or the responsibility – to determine for ourselves what is truth. God has already presented it to us in His Word. What we need to do is to become so familiar with the Word that it becomes an integral part of our lives, so central to our thought processes that everything we do flows out of it.

Truth will then become the belt of our armor, holding up our weapons and supporting the righteousness that is ours in Christ.

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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 ”Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:11Ephesians 6:11
English: World English Bible - WEB
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

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Down through the ages, many people have used talismans to protect them from the forces of evil. Even the cross has at times been used as a talisman, with the wearer believing that just by putting it on she is protected from whatever may come against her.

Unfortunately, many people use these verses about the armour in the same way. They pray them glibly each morning, “putting on” the armour, and rest happy and comfortable in the thought that they are protected.

That is not what Paul was talking about. In telling us to “put on” the armour, he is not suggesting that we simply say a “lucky charm” prayer, but rather that we adopt a lifestyle that will truly enable us to stand against every attack of the enemy.

To put on the belt of truth is to have our lives girded, in every area, with both the eternal truth of the Word of God and the truthfulness of a child of God, created in the image of the God who is Truth.

To put on the breastplate of righteousness is to know that our heart is protected both because God has declared us to be righteous in Christ, and because His righteousness is being worked out in our lives.

To be shod with the Gospel of peace means to be able to walk safely in any area, secure in the knowledge that the Gospel has brought us both peace with God and the peace of God, and that we are upheld by the God who is Peace.

To take up the shield of faith is to meet every attack with faith in God’s faithfulness; a faith which has been soaked long in the water of the Word.

To take the helmet of salvation is to have our mind, our eyes, our ears and our mouth shielded by the totality of God’s salvation for every aspect of our lives, allowing nothing to enter that has not been filtered through that salvation.

To take the sword of the Spirit is to allow the Word of God to permeate our lives, so that we can use it to answer the devil’s temptations, just as Jesus did in the wilderness.

None of that is a quick, “lucky charm” prayer. It is a lifestyle, and it takes work.

Lord, teach us to live in Your armour, always fully clad and equipped to meet the worst that the enemy can throw at us.

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://armorofgod.lynnbfowler.com

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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